Acute and subacute oral toxicity evaluation of benincasa hispida extract in rodents

The toxicity studies were carried out a 50% aqueous ethanolic extract of Benincasa hispida ( B. hispida ) in rodents.The acute toxicity study, B. hispida was found to be well tolerated upto 2000mg/kg, produced neither mortality nor in behavior in mice. In subacute toxicity study, B. hispida at dose level of 200 and 400 mg/kg did not produce any significant difference in their body weight, food and water intake when compared to vehicle treated rats. It also showed no significant alteration in hematological and biochemical parameters in experimental groups of rats apart from a decrease in aspatate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphate content at the dose of 400 mg/kg. Histopathological study revealed normal architecture of kidney and liver of B. hispida treated rats. These results demonstrated that there is a wide margin of safety for the therapeutic use of B. hispida and further corroborated the traditional use of this extract as an anti hepatocarcinogenic agent.